Forced Landing by Conisborough Pilot

August 1936

Mexborough and Swinton Times August 21, 1936

Forced Landing by Conisborough Pilot

Residents in the district are by now well used to seeing amateur pilots from the Doncaster airport trying their machines over the locality on sunny afternoons. One of these pilots, Mr Arthur Irving Drabble, of “Pendine,” Park Road, Conisborough had a rather trying experience last weekend. The monoplane he was piloting a been observed over Rotherham on Sunday afternoon and at 5:45 PM Mr Drabble was compelled to make a forced landing at Ravenfield, owing to shortage of petrol.

Fortunately Mr Drabble was quite unscathed, but owing to damage to the machine it was unable to take off again and the plane had to be taken back to Doncaster by road. The monoplane is owned by Mr JJ Lister of Oval, Bessecar, Doncaster.

Mr Drabble with a friend, Mr Colin Cook of Coningsby, had been to Woodford Aerodrome (Cheshire) where Mr Drabble had his first flying lesson. In landing he had to make a quick choice between a field, and a wood and in turning round to miss the wood, he extensively damaged the undercarriage and tail of the machine. This was Mr Drabble’s first forced landing since his practice days